1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to combustion gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to a support member for supporting a swirler in a basket frame of a combustion gas turbine engine. Specifically, the invention relates to a two-piece support member that removably mounts a swirler to a combustor basket frame of a gas turbine engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is known in the relevant art, combustion gas turbine engines typically include a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section. Large quantities of air are compressed in the compressor section and are delivered to a large pressurized plenum in the combustor section. The compressed air travels from the pressurized plenum into and through a plurality of swirlers where the air is mixed with fuel. The fuel/air mixture thereafter travels into a plurality of combustor baskets where the fuel/air mixture is combusted. The combustion gases flow through the combustor baskets and into the turbine section where the combustion gases power a turbine and thereafter exit the engine. In its simplest form, the turbine section includes a shaft that drives the compressor section, and the energy of the combustion gases is greater than that required to run the compressor section. As such, the excess energy is taken directly from the turbine/compressor shaft or may be employed in the form of thrust, depending upon the specific application and the nature of the engine.
Within the combustor section, the swirlers are circumferentially distributed within and mounted on a basket frame. More specifically, the basket frame is a substantially annular member formed with a plurality of mounting holes. Each swirler is mounted on the basket frame with a pair of support shanks extending between the swirler and the basket frame. The support shanks extend through the mounting holes and are welded to an outer surface of the basket frame.
While the practice of mounting the swirlers on the basket frame with support shanks extending therebetween has been generally effective for the intended purpose, such practice has not, however, been without limitation. As is known in the relevant art, combustion gas turbine engines operate at elevated temperatures and pressures and involve the high speed rotation of substantial components thereof. As such, the swirlers of such engines are subjected to extreme thermal and mechanical stresses.
As a result, one or more swirlers often become in need of repair or replacement, and such repair or replacement typically is conducted during routine maintenance of the engine. In order to maximize performance of the engine, however, the swirlers are configured in a tight side-by-side arrangement along the inner circumference of the basket frame (FIG. 1). As such, any single swirler cannot be individually removed because the support shanks that extend between the swirler and the basket frame and that are received in the mounting holes interfere with any attempted removal of the swirler along the longitudinal axis of the swirler. Moreover, the swirler cannot be removed from the basket frame in a direction radially inward toward the central axis of the basket frame inasmuch as the other swirlers that are mounted along the inner circumference of the basket frame interfere with such movement. While the swirlers are assembled in such a close fashion during manufacture of the engine by carefully controlling the assembly process, the removal of a single swirler has heretofore been impossible without removing a substantial number of other components, particularly other swirlers, from the basket frame. As such, it is desired to provide an improved support member for mounting a swirler to a basket frame of a gas turbine engine and a method of removably mounting the swirler to the basket frame. The method preferably can be retrofitted into existing engines as well as implemented into new engines during the manufacture thereof.
In view of the foregoing, a support member for removably supporting a swirler on a basket frame of a combustion gas turbine engine includes a plug removably mounted on the basket frame and a pin fixedly mounted on the swirler. A mechanical lock detachably connects the plug and the pin with one another, and the mechanical lock may include cooperating threads or other appropriate attachment structures. The swirler is removed from the basket frame by detaching the plug from the basket frame, disconnecting the plug from the pin, and sliding the swirler longitudinally along its own axis whereby the pin clears the mounting hole within which the plug was mounted.
An aspect of the present invention is to provide a support member for mounting a swirler to a basket frame within a gas turbine engine, the general nature of which can be stated as including a first member being of a first length and being structured to be removably mounted on the basket frame, a second member being of a second length and being structured to be fixedly mounted on the swirler, and a mechanical lock extending between the first and second members and detachably connecting the first and second members with one another, the first and second members together being of a third length when the mechanical lock connects the first and second members.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a gas turbine engine, the general nature of which can be stated as including a compressor section, a combustor section, a turbine section, the combustor section including a basket frame, at least a first swirler, and at least a first support member, the at least first support member including a first member, a second member, and a mechanical lock, the first member being of a first length and being removably mounted on the basket frame, the second member being of a second length and being fixedly mounted on the at least first swirler, and the mechanical lock extending between the first and second members and detachably connecting the first and second members with one another, the first and second members together being of a third length when the mechanical lock connects the first and second members with one another, the third length being greater than the second length.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of removably mounting a swirler onto a basket frame in the combustor section of a gas turbine engine, the general nature of which can be stated as including the steps of providing a pin extending from the swirler, removably connecting the pin to a plug, and removably attaching the plug to the basket frame.